Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

"How many people have been killed, sir!?"

There, a sea of ​​blood had sunk.

Numerous adventurers lay dead throughout the intricate network of alleyways, a scene of carnage. The landscape looked as if shattered and destroyed by some terrifying force, with blood splattered everywhere. Among the fallen adventurers, some even wore clown badges.

The girl gasped at the horrific scene around her, while carefully avoiding being discovered by other adventurers, and quietly left the scene.

She walked from the alleyway marked "277th Street" to the back alleyway marked "278th Street".

The girl moved through the eastern section of the maze-like street, carefully checking that no one was around before crouching down in her original spot and quietly raising her hand to her mouth.

"No, Zenos isn't here. He's probably been discovered by the adventurers at the rendezvous point... Yes, yes... Alright, then let's abandon the rendezvous and continue to harass them from here—"

She was all alone, yet she murmured to the "crystal" in her small hand.

The girl stopped murmuring, stood up, looked around, and then prepared to continue on her way.

at this time……

"The commander guessed correctly—"

The girl let out a soft "Huh?"

It was interrupted by the figures that emerged from the ground.

"--They really did come from the south to the east."

A figure appeared from above, silently leaping down like a cat.

Without the girl noticing, she landed on the ground behind her and pressed the blade against the girl's slender neck.

“──!?”

My left hand was twisted behind my back.

The cold touch of the swords invaded my neck.

The capture scene ended in an instant.

The orc girl had no time to comprehend the situation and widened her eyes to their limit.

"Miss Supporter? What's wrong? What happened?"

The crystal in his right hand glowed subtly, transmitting the voice of the goddess (someone) to this place.

In the eerily quiet back alley, blood seeped from the skin of the neck where a sword was held against it, leaving a bright red trail.

The sharp blade silently demanded that she "find something to cover it up," and the girl gasped as she opened her trembling lips:

"There are adventurers here... They'll be discovered, so please disconnect the communication for now..."

Okay, I understand.

Perhaps assuming the girl's nervousness stemmed from the adventurer's approach, the divine being (figure) deep within the crystal remained oblivious to the situation and did not pursue the matter further. The light vanished, and the crystal fell into complete silence.

At the same time, the girl broke out in a cold sweat all over her body.

The hilt of the short sword pressed against his neck was engraved with a poorly made emblem of the "Family".

That was a clown badge with lips curving into a smile like a crescent moon.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Her heart pounded wildly inside the girl's body.

(How could this be...?)

How did they get caught?

Was the disguise exposed?

No way? Why? How could this be?

The "self" I am now is clearly not the "original self" I was—

As if to answer the countless questions that surfaced and disappeared in the girl's mind, "she" standing behind her—Annakiti—brought her lips close to her ear:

"You're the only one who doesn't smell."

The girl's body temperature dropped drastically.

"It's a scented sachet (prop) to mask odors, right? I had that feeling when I was investigating with the werewolf (Bert)... Were you the one hiding the monster in West Street?"

"...!?"

"If it were a covert operation, that would be one thing... but in a crowd, it would stand out very conspicuously."

that's it?

Is that all?

With just this one clue, how did you find yourself among countless adventurers?

The girl's face turned pale and then red, and her petite body trembled with fear.

"And then there's... you're the same size as the commander who deceived Raul."

Anachidi Ottoman.

Like his unassuming colleague Raul Nord, he is also Lv.4.

However, despite also being a Level 2 adventurer, she was far too capable.

Based on Finn's guess about the girl's "transformation," she narrowed down her search and found the "real target" among countless adventurers.

The girl, with a blade pressed against her, was surrounded by several members of the Loki Familia.

At this point, the girl's face finally turned deathly pale.

"I want you to come with me."

—Lord Bell.

The girl seemed to realize her impending doom and murmured the boy's name.

Sword Oratoria Gaiden 10 Interlude: Each Character's Battle

The blade blocked the wooden knife with a snap.

Ais played a fierce sword song and landed in the back alley.

“Hmm…!”

Ais descended from the building's rooftop into the back alley, where she confronted the attackers—masked adventurers.

The opponent wore a long, hooded cloak that billowed in the wind, and boots that reached halfway up his thighs. The slender adventurer, wielding a wooden sword, assumed a sideways stance, ready for battle.

The location is in a back alley southeast of Maze Street.

This place was surprisingly wide, spanning seven meters, and surrounded by a jumble of wooden crates, barrels, and scrap. The shouts of adventurers chasing the boy and the monster seemed distant. As if this place alone was isolated from the world, this corner of the labyrinthine street became their own private battlefield.

"Who are you……!"

"I regret that I cannot give my name. I hope you will forgive my actions, which are tantamount to assassination."

The masked adventurer refused Ais's probing questions with a serious and earnest tone.

The other party's answer emphasized principles so much; perhaps their true nature is that of an elf?

Although the adventurer expressed his apology in a polite and considerate tone, he still exuded a strong fighting spirit, letting Ais know that a battle between the two was inevitable.

"With you as my opponent, it's impossible to wait for an opportunity to strike—allow me to go all out from the very beginning."

The masked adventurer vanished in the next instant.

"!!"

The opponent moved at high speed, escaping Ais's sight in one breath.

Just as the golden gaze was a fraction too late in chasing the diagonal path rushing to the right, the masked adventurer approached her with a forward-leaning posture that was almost touching the ground, and swung his wooden sword from below.

Faced with an attack from the edge of his field of vision, Ai reacted flawlessly, deflecting it with the "Sword of Despair" in his right hand.

"!"

The sharp impact pierced through both hands, leaving the sword and wooden knife suspended in mid-air.

In the split second of the attack and defense, Ais's golden eyes met those of her sky-blue eyes.

The masked adventurer, whose attack had been blocked, seemed to have anticipated this, and moved away from his original position by brushing past Ais's side, then continued to speed away.

「!?」

The opponent was like a whirlwind, swirling around Ais.

The masked adventurer used the entire wide back alley to accelerate repeatedly. The sound of kicking the cobblestones echoed continuously, and sometimes he would even kick off a slab and leap into the air, but he never stopped in one place.

The opponent truly lived up to his name, moving erratically and freely.

"Haa!"

"!"

The adventurer launched a swift and fierce attack. Ais flashed her sword, deflecting the wooden blade approaching from her rear.

At that moment, Ais frowned at the impact force coming from the blade.

The masked adventurer didn't allow Ais to think, creating distance again before closing in at high speed and launching an attack.

Another blow, and another.

Facing attacks from all directions, Ais repeatedly defended herself, her eyes widening as she clearly witnessed the "impact force" of the swords vibrating incessantly.

(The power... is increasing!?)

Can't go wrong.

The second strike was stronger than the first, and the third strike was stronger than the second.

The power manifested as a terrifying impact, striking Ais's body through her defenses.

As if illustrating the immense power that was rising every moment, the Sword of Despair trembled and clanged.

--Is it a "skill" of speed, like Mr. Bert's?

The werewolves, belonging to the same faction as Ais, possess the [Sól Máni] skill, which increases "Strength" and "Agility" when accelerating, making it a powerful and rare skill. Ais deduces that the other party likely also possesses a skill related to swift movement.

While battles between adventurers are primarily based on "skill and tactics," it is also crucial to ascertain the opponent's "magic" and "skills." Failing to discern the enemy's abilities and trump cards could easily lead to a last-minute reversal of fortune.

Especially in battles between experts, the cards in one's hand can often determine who wins and who loses.

Not only that...

"Haa ...

When the opponent launches an attack accompanied by a scream as loud as tearing silk, the body will emit golden particles in coordination with the movement.

Ais had seen these particles of light.

(Just like the "Man Killer (Androktones)"...!?)

Ais once fought against the Ishtar Familia in the port city (Merlen).

There, the first-class adventurer, Frini Jamil, attacked Ais.

The enemy, clearly a Lv.5, was locked in a fierce battle with the Lv.6 Ais, who was also emitting a massive amount of light particles. The scene before him stirred up memories from a month ago.

The opponent has been given a "boost" that is equivalent to a rank-up.

Was this masked adventurer once a member of the Ishtar Familia?

(—No, that's not right. This person could never be a member of the goddess's kin (the Ishtar Familia).)

Ais rejected and discarded the conjecture that flashed through her mind.

This is because, compared to her memories from a month ago, she recalled a deeper scene from several years ago.

I know him. I (Ais) know this person.

(I—I once fought this person!)

She remembered that back then, the other party was also hiding their true colors.

A mask, a wooden sword, a cloak, and sharp swordsmanship. A strong gaze that appears both blue and green.

Ais, who used to be so eager to become stronger, only remembered these marks.

What exactly was the start of the battle, and why did it escalate into such a life-or-death struggle?

Back then, who really won?